L A TIMES REPORTERS WOUNDED

NEWSDAY.COM AP ^ | December 31, 2003, 4:45 PM EST | From Staff and Wire Reports

[Ramonan]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A car bomb ripped through a crowded restaurant hosting a New Year's Eve party in the Iraqi capital, killing five Iraqis and wounding 24 others. The nighttime attack came amid tightened security in Baghdad as military officials expected insurgent attacks. Sirens wailed and helicopters buzzed overhead as ambulances and U.S. soldiers converged after the explosion on the Nabil restaurant, a popular spot with foreigners that had advertised a New Year's Eve party with live music and belly dancing. Three reporters from the Los Angeles Times, and four local staff members suffered injuries that appeared minor, said Dean Baquet, the Times' managing editor. The reporters injured in the blast were Chris Kraul, Tracy Wilkinson and Ann Simmons.

[Ramonan]

Looks like the L.A Times reporters did not buy their own line that Iraq is a latter day quagmire, similar in nature to VietNam. The reporters were at a popular hotel, enjoying a New Year's party, when their " Insurgents" --the rest of us call them thugs and assasins--took advantage of the crowd and set off a bomb

[billorites]

"Three reporters from the Los Angeles Times, and four local staff members suffered injuries..."

I know the deal, the check comes and all of a sudden everyone at the table is "missing limbs."

Sure.

[Burkeman1]

I am impressed that the LA Times even has their own reporter in Iraq. Most papers rely one of the wire services for their foreign reporting. It is a scandal.

[pfflier]

Imagine that, reporters being wounded at a party. If they were with the troops, they would have been safer, but then they would see the truth. I imagine that is pretty obscure on the party circuit.

[Burkeman1]

We are not dealing with a rational western culture in Iraq. I read somewhere that one tribe within the Sunni triangle that has been fighting against us threatened to send a woman's dress (a great insult in their culture) to another tribe unless they too started to fight. Just the threat of recieving such an insult made them put a few half hearted attacks.

"Democracy" in Iraq?

[Tim Osman]

If they all got brain injuries, would you even be able to tell in their writing?

Oh, now I feel bad.

Hope everyone is okay.

[AnnaZ]

I have been following one of their Baghdad-based writers quite closely for almost a year now, John Daniszewski. His style is superb and his eyes have admittedly opened to more than the preconceived notions he left here with. I imagine he will probably win a Pulitzer for his coverage, if that award means anything. (I hope to film an interview.)

[nmh]

Too bad. Any NYT reporters injured or worse? ;)

[JOE6PAK]

"WAITER!"

[Cicero]

Occasionally one of the good guys wins a Pulitzer, but usually it goes to someone who belongs to the clique that runs it--leftists one and all.

[muggs]

Off topic, but does anyone know anything about Michael Moss, a reporter for the NYT?

[fish hawk]

I can see it all now: See, we told you that the world was no safer without Saddam!

[Burkeman1]

I am in my thirties and I seem to remember that the major local paper had at least a dozen foreign reporters all their own and didn't rely on centralized services like the AP or Reuters nearly as much. The Boston Globe has maybe two foreign reporters now but most of their stuff is just force fed them by the wires. Cost cutting and mergers have weakened the American Media. It is slightly left of center overall and earily similiar. It is like News has been McDonaldlized and franchised.

[Dallas59]

[hasegawasama]

aww tracy wilkinson was HURT?!!?! ;)

[al baby]

like this one

[oldironsides]

Why would any clear thinking person go to a watering hole for foreigners when the city is not secure? They have to be really thick or naive. I cannot believe anyone would do that?

[AnnaZ]

He went to Iraq a full on lefty "no war for oil"-y... but when Baghdad fell so, methinks, did a lot of scales.